IFA Berlin, the world's leading platform for home and consumer tech, is expanding its commitment to sustainability in 2025 by entering into a partnership with Cradle to Cradle NGO (C2C NGO). As part of the cooperation, the tech trade platform is working together with the non-profit organisation to promote forward-looking change in the industry – towards genuine circularity, responsible use of resources, positive impact and innovative product design.
Since 2012, Cradle to Cradle NGO has been driving the implementation of the Cradle to Cradle principle in Germany and beyond. The sustainability partnership with IFA emphasises the shared goal of making innovations for a genuine Circular Economy visible and actively driving the transformation forward.
The focus of the collaboration is on making C2C-design visible in the consumer electronics industry. C2C NGO will help shape the content of the IFA stages – with keynotes, panels, workshops and micro talks where entrepreneurs and thought leaders can present and discuss their solutions for recyclable consumer electronics. A joint position paper with concrete recommendations for business and politics, as well as the NGO's participation as a jury member in the first IFA Innovation Awards, underline the relevance of the partnership. Cradle to Cradle NGO will also be present at the exhibition grounds with its own stand to provide further input and engage with industry experts.
From now on, when purchasing tickets for the IFA in September, both private and trade visitors will have the opportunity to support the work of Cradle to Cradle NGO with a voluntary donation. In this way, IFA is making the step towards sustainable trade event visits easy and transparent – and giving visitors the chance to make a concrete contribution.
Leif Lindner, CEO of IFA Management GmbH, said;
The partnership with Cradle to Cradle NGO is more than a statement for us – it is a call to action. As the industry's leading platform, IFA brings innovation and industry together. Together, we are sending a strong signal that future technology and circular thinking must go hand in hand. Only if we understand sustainability as a design task, we can achieve real, sustainable progress.
Nora Sophie Griefahn & Tim Janßen, Founders and Managing Directors, Cradle to Cradle NGO, said;
We see the partnership with IFA Berlin as an opportunity to provide important impulses for change across an entire industry. Consumer electronics have become an integral part of our everyday lives. However, devices and components are rarely reusable. Materials are often sourced under precarious conditions, and the situation is further exacerbated by the wasting of scarce resources. Neither linear business models nor mere reduction and avoidance offer future-proof solutions. What is needed is a new way of thinking that focuses on design with the aim of creating a positive footprint. An electrical appliance designed according to Cradle to Cradle takes all production steps into account, enabling materials to be separated and kept in continuous use without any loss of quality. C2C products are designed to be fair and materially healthy. This secures future resource use and shows how we can make technology sustainable and responsible.
